Wool-cleaning machine.



N0. 636,714. l. .Patented Nov. 7, |899.

' J. BRANDY. l

WDDL CLEANING MACHINE.

' (Appucmon ma Feb. 4, 1899.)

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l,

Immunu Ilm l 'u "In No. 636,7I4. j Patented' Nav.l 7,4 |899.

J. BRANDY.

wom. CLEANING MACHINE.

(Application led Febf4, 1899.)

(No Mdel.)

2-Sheets-Sheet 2,

YH: Nomns versn; co.. moro-umn. wnsmnaron, n. c.

I UNITED STATES vPATENT OFFICE.

JAMES BRANDY, oE LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS, AssieNoR or ONE-HALE To RoswELL C. TAYLOR, or SAME PLACE.

vWOOL-CLEANING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part @Letters patent No. 636,714, dated November r, 1899-. Application tiled February 4, 1899. Serial No. 704,451. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concer-1b:

Beit known that I, JAMES BRANDY, of Lawrence, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wool- Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specifica-` tion.

This invention relates to machines for removing dirt and other foreign matter from io fibrous material, such as Wool; and it has for its object to provide a machine which shall thoroughly and rapidly separate foreign matter from the iibrous material by a combined pneumatic and mechanical action.

I5 rIrhein vention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents zo alongitudinal vertical section of awool-cleaning machine embodying my invention. Fig.

2 represents'a perspective view showing one end of the rotary perforated cylinder. Fig.

3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1,

looking toward the left. Fig. 4 represents an end view of the machine.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in, all the figures.

In the drawings, ct a represent the end 3o pieces cfasupporting-frame,whichend pieces i are provided with bearings ct 0,',supporting i 'the rotary shaft b. Said shaft supports and rotates a foraminous cylinder c, which is preferably of tapering or frusto-conical form, as

shown in Fig. 1, and may be made of perfo rated sheet metal, wire-cloth, or other suitable material.- The cylinder c may be supported onthe shaft b by any suitable means, preferably by means of a series of spiders c c2 c3,

4o which have hubs affixed to the shaft and peripheral portions affixed to the cylinder c.

The cylinder is provided with a series of rows of radiating spikes o4, these rows extending lengthwise of the cylinder. To aiord suit- `able supports for the spikes, I have shown the cylinder as provided with longitudinal bars c5, which are T-shaped in cross-section and lare secured in recesses formed for their reception in the spiders c' c'2 c3, the spikes be- 50 ing riveted or otherwise securely affixed to the bars c5.

On the supporting-frame is mounted a'xed `casing or cover a2, which covers the upper por u tion of the body and the ends of the cylinder c. Said casing is continued below the cylinder by two segmental plates provided with numerous small apertures or outlets 0.3, Fig. 3, which permit the escape of the foreign matter separated from the wool,v as hereinafter described, into removable receptacles a4 be- 6c low the cylinder. Two'of said receptacles are here shown, and the said segmental plates in this instance are attached to and form parts of said receptacles, which also include floors 1, rear walls 2, Fig. 3', and end walls 3, Fig. 1. 65 The receptacles are adapted to slide on ways 4, supported bythe frame of the machine. The supporting-frame is provided with rigid longitudinal side beams a5 a5, which extend between the end pieces a 0L and are suitably 7o aiixed thereto, said beams a5 being provided with rows of spikes a6 a, which project into the space between the casing 0,2 and the cylinder c, and are arranged so that' the spikes Vc4 on the cylinder pass between the said spikes 75 a6. The body portion of the casing a2 is concentric with the cylinder c, so that an annular space or cleaning-chamber is formed between the casing and cylinder, as shown in Fig. 3, the spikes c4 on the cylinder projecting out- 8o wardly nearly to the casing a2, while the fixed spikes co6 project inwardly nearly to the periphery of the cylinder, so that any wool introduced into the said annular space and car-- ried around by the rotation of thejcylinder will have its bers loosened and separated by the conjoint action of thev spikes c4 and a6.

c represents a fan-blower which is located near one end of the casing and is connected by a pipe or conduit c' with the casing, Said 9o conduit delivering the blast of air from the blower c at one end of the casing at such point that the blast passes through openings c6 c6, Fig. 2, in one end of the cylinder into the interior of the latter, said openings o6 be- 95 ing here shown as formed by the arms and perimeter of the spider c3. The opposite end of the cylinder is closed-against anyappreciable escape of air, and this may be effected by making the spider o continuous-that'is roo to say, without openings, such as are provided in the spider c-or said spider c may be of the same general form as the spider c3, and the escape of air maybe prevented by the adjacent end of the casing a2, which end :o5 is in close proximity to the end of the cylinder. It is my object to provide a construction which while admitting air freely to the end of the cylinder next the conduit e' will prevent any considerable escape of air eX- cepting outwardly through the perforations of the cylinder, so that there will be a radial discharge of air from all parts of the cylinder :in-to the annular space between the cylinder and the easing, each perforation in the cylinder discharging a jet of air outwardly into said annular space. The said jets of air act forcibly upon the fibers of wool which are being loosened and separated by the spikes in the said annular space, and effectually separate therefrom the dirt and other foreign matter loosened or detached bythe action of the spikes. The matter detached from the wool by the action of the spikes passes through the perforations a3, the heavier portions of such foreign matter lodging in the receptacles a4, while the lighter portions are drawn from said receptacles through conduit-sff', communicatingtherewith and with an external exhaust-fan f. It will be seen that the exhaust created by the fanftends to draw all the matteil that falls upon the segmental plates containing the perforations a3 through the latter and out of the annular space.

To equalize the air-pressure within the cylinder and give a practically equal force to all the jets issuing therefrom, I provide airdistributing means, such as fan-blades g", attached to the shaft b within the cylinder, said blades being obliquely arranged so that both by their position and by the rotary motion they receive from the shaft each blade deflects a portion of the air entering one end of the cylinder through the conduit e outwardly toward the periphery of the cylinder, the fans being constructed so that each intercepts only a portion of the air, and hence each series of fan-blades defiects a port-ion of the air outwardly, the result being a practically uniform pressure or force in the jets of air issuing from all parts of the cylinder. The obliquely-arranged fan-blades are adapted to force air outwardly through the perforations in the cylinder independently of the fanblower e.- As a matter of fact the said fanblades will create jets or currents of air through the said perforations, said jets having sufficient force to operate beneficially upon the fiber in said chamber, so that the machine would be operative even if the blower c were not employed, although it is obvious that the air-jets would have a greater force when formed by the conjoint action of the blower c and the fan-blades g. The exhaust-fanfcoperates with the means used for forcing jets of air from the interior of the cylinder through the annular cleaning- -ham ber byexhausting the air from said chamber, so that the force of the air-jets is augmented.

The woolA or other fibrous material to be cleaned may be supplied to the annular space between the casing and the cylinder by any suitable means, such as by a sectional feedapron g, which delivers the material to a pair of crushing-rolls 7L h, which in turn deliver it through a suitable opening in the casing to the annular space between the casing and the cylinder, the point of delivery being preferably at ornear the smaller end of the cylinder.

represents a discharge spout or outlet communicating with the larger end of the casing, its location being shown in Fig. 3 and by dotted lines in Fig. l, said outlet communieating with the larger end of the annular space between the casing and the cylinder. The wool fibers while being loosened and separated by the spikes in the annular space are gradually carried along from the smaller to the larger end of the cylinder, and when they reach the outlet t' are forced through the latter by the air-pressure, the air that is forced outwardly through the cylinder escaping through the outlet t', and thus carrying with it the fibrous material that is loosened therein.

The annularspace between the cylinder and casing may be properly termed a cleaningchamber.

I claiml. A machine of the character specified, comprising a rotary perforated cylinder, a casing forming an annular cleaning-chamber surrounding the cylinder, fiber loosening and separating devices in said chamber attached respectively to the cylinder and casing, means for forcing air under pressure into the cylinder at one end thereof, and means for equalizing the pressure of air throughout thelength of the cylinder.

2. A machine of the character specified, comprising a rotary perforated cylinder, a casing forming an annular cleaning-chamber surrounding the cylinder, fiber loosening and separating devices in said chamber attached respectively tothe cylinder and casing, means for forcing air under pressure into the cylinder at one end thereof, and fans within the cylinder having oblique blades arranged to defleet the air outwardly.

3. In a machine of the character specified, the combination of a rotary perforated cylinder, a casing forming an annular cleaningchambersurrounding the cylinder, fiber loosening and separating devices in said chamber att-ached respectively to the cylinder and casing, means for forcing jets or currents of air through the perforations of the cylinder into the cleaning-chamber, and an air-exhausting apparatus communicating with the cleaning-chamber, whereby the force of the air-jets issuing from the perforations of the cylinder and passing through the material therein is augmented.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES BRANDY. lVitnesses:

C. F. BROWN, RoswELL C. TAYLOR.

ICD

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